Key Facts
full title · How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
author · Julia Alvarez
type of work · Novel
genre · Family Epic
time and place written · The United States, late 1980s
date of first publication · 1991
publisher · Penguin Books
narrator · Multiple narrators and perspectives, shifting between
and within chapters
climax · The family's flight from the Dominican Republic is
the turning point that shatters the extended family and causes the
daughters' psychological damage.
protagonist · The four Garcia sisters equally share the role of protagonist
antagonist · The challenges of immigration are the antagonists,
from family conflicts to cultural readjustments
setting (time) · 1956–1989
setting (place) · The Dominican Republic and the United States
point of view · The point of view shifts between numerous characters,
both those within the Garcia family and others
falling action · The sisters' childhood memories of the Dominican Republic conclude
the novel and provide falling action from the climax of leaving
the Island.
tense · The present tense is used to narrate moments of particular tension
or crisis, and the past tense is used throughout the rest of the
narrative.
foreshadowing · Because the novel is presented in reverse chronological
order, foreshadowing often happens in reverse. For instance, Yolanda's experience
with the kitten in Chapter 15 foreshadows
her leaving the Island in Chapter 11, but
the reader doesn't learn of this moment until after hearing about
the family's last day on the Island.
tone · The tone shifts frequently, depending on the narrative perspective.
Often a casual, intimate tone is used when told from one of the
sister's perspectives.
themes · Family Conflict, Sexuality, The Meaning of Language
motifs · Nicknames
symbols · Mother Cat, Black Bird, Guavas, Snow
